The mellow and calming sound of “Moon” evolved majorly throughout the course of its existence, originally acting as an interlude with a repetitive chorus sung by Don Toliver. “Moon” premiered as the eighth track at the Donda album listening party on July 23, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Only two weeks later, on August 5, 2021, at the second listening party, “Moon” was played as the second track. This enhanced version shortened Toliver’s chorus and then featured Kanye along with his long-time collaborator and friend, Kid Cudi. With this second version, Cudi contributed a verse along with ad-libs in a revised, second chorus which featured new lyrics and vocal parts thanks to Kanye West.
To the surprise of many, on August 26, at the controversial third and final listening event, “Moon” was played as the twelfth track, excerpting Kid Cudi and Kanye’s contributions. The stripped-down track only featured Toliver’s looped vocals, with some background vocals provided by the Sunday Service Choir.
When the album released on August 29, 2021, “Moon” was restored to its second version containing all the original features.